The
NHFP, for the fourteenth consecutive year,
will hold an event that is being embraced by pet
lovers worldwide and that has marked the beginning of a lasting and
cherished tradition of compassion and caring. On Tuesday, March 5, 2019, we
will hold the Fourteenth Annual Pet Remembrance Candle Lighting in
partnership with the Humane Society of the North Bay (HSNB). Thanks
to the generosity of Buck Kamphausen, owner of Skyview Memorial Lawn, who
graciously consented to the use of his facilities, the
event will take place from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM in the Garden Chapel at Skyview
Memorial Lawn, located at 200 Rollingwood Drive (at Benicia Road) in
Vallejo. The public may begin gathering in
the Garden Chapel at 6:30 PM and is encouraged to bring photographs of
beloved pet(s), deceased or lost. The photos will eventually be mounted on poster
boards and become part of a rotating display at the Humane Society of the North
Bay, located at 1121 Sonoma Boulevard, in Vallejo. Those who cannot attend
in person can mail their photos to HSNB, under the heading Pet Loss
Memorial.

The ceremony will include remarks by
Dr. Kathryn Marocchino, president of TheNHFP, and
Wendy B. Jones, executive director of the HSNB. Mayor Bob Sampayan will also be in attendance and will be reading his annual proclamation
re-establishing March 5 as "Pet Remembrance Candle Lighting"
nationwide and throughout the world.
Larry J. Miller, Certified Pastoral Thanatologist, will officiate. Musical accompaniment
will be provided by Tim Heney, pianist, and by Cal Maritime Cadet Alan Pham, violinist. A pet loss memorial video on The Rainbow Bridge will also be shown. Students from the Cal Maritime Community Cat
Club, in uniform, will assist throughout the
event as part of their community service or campus
stewardship. Audio-visual support will be provided by Royster Martin, from the Cal Maritime A/V department.

Please
mark March 5 on your calendars as it is the official annual date for this
event. Every year, we will be reminding the public of its occurrence so
that pet lovers everywhere can join us for this unique and special
ceremony honoring all beloved pets who have passed on, are lost, or have
been separated from their families. If possible, we suggest that you
consider organizing a pet memorial service in your own town or city by
working in conjunction with your local humane society, SPCA or animal
shelter, as we continue to do in Vallejo, California. Pet organizations
seeking information on how best to coordinate such an event on their
premises and/or who would like suggestions on creating special memorial
rituals are welcome to email us to request materials. The
organizations who have adhered to the Pet Remembrance Candle
Lighting on a yearly basis, thus far, are as follows: Wholistic Paws
Veterinary Services in Hamilton, Virginia and BrightSide Animal Center in Redmond, Oregon. If you would like your
organization to be listed on this page, please join us by holding this
event in your own city or town, and then informing us that you have done
so.

If you
cannot organize or attend a similar event in your local area, we encourage
you to join us by lighting a candle in your own home or in another safe
location of your choice for one hour at 7:00 PM local time on March
5, regardless of where you are in the world. We hope you will find comfort
in knowing that other pet lovers worldwide will also be lighting a
candle on the same date, in memory of their lost pets. Those who wish to
share their thoughts about their companion animals may do so by sending us
an email at info@pethospice.org. For more
information on this special event, please email us before March 5 of each
year.